Overall winners of the Sony World Photography Awards 2020

14 June 2020

The World Photography Organisation has recently announced the overall winners in the Sony World Photography Awards 2020. Pablo Albarenga (Uruguay) has been named Photographer of the Year, taking home the US$25,000 prize for his series, Seeds of Resistance.

© Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. From the series, Seeds of Resistance. José is one of the leaders of the Achuar indigenous people in the Sharamentsa community. He defends his rainforest by generating projects in collaboration with external organisations. One of them aims to create an indigenous group to monitor their territory from the ground and also by using aerial technology such as drones. Left: José lying down in his yard over a banana leaf, dressed in traditional Achuar clothing. Right: The Achuar rainforest at the back of José’s house. Sharamentsa, Pastaza, Ecuador.

Also announced were the ten category winners of the Professional competition, alongside second and third place, as well as overall winners of the Open, Student and Youth competitions. Three Australians won categories in the Open competition (Antoine Veling – Culture, Craig McGowan – Landscape, Adrian Guerin – Travel) and five were shortlisted across Professional and Open competitions (Nick Moir – Documentary – Professional, Jenny Evans – Environment – Professional, Adam Ferguson – Portrait – Professional, Alex Kydd – Natural World & Wildlife – Open, Adam Stevenson - Natural World & Wildlife – Open).

About the winning series

Seeds of Resistance is a body of work which pairs photographs of landscapes and territories in danger from mining and agribusinesses with portraits of the activists fighting to conserve them. In 2017, at least 207 leaders and environmentalists were killed while protecting their communities from projects threatening their territories. According to a 2018 report by Global Witness, most of these cases occurred in Brazil with 57 assassinations being recorded, of which 80% were against people defending the Amazon.

Albarenga’s series explores the bond between the defenders and their lands – a sacred area in which hundreds of generations of their ancestors rest. In the photographs, the main characters in the stories are seen from above, as though they are laying down their lives for their territory.

Mike Trow, Chair of the 2020 Professional competition, stated: “This year’s winner comes from the Creative category and is a brilliant set of images which offers a powerful visual record of how deforestation goes hand in hand with the destruction of communities and peoples. The judging process this year was challenging - there were a number of extraordinary stories and sets of images that could have won the overall title, but Seeds of Resistance really stood out. Pablo is from Uruguay and this project is deeply personal to him as a photographer. The effort required to envisage, produce and shoot this series is laudable in every way.”

Professional category winners

The winning photographers in the Professional competition had a body of work, comprising 5-10 images) selected by a panel of expert judges.

Architecture

WINNER: Sandra Herber (Canada) for her series, Ice Fishing Huts, Lake Winnipeg

Finalists: 2nd place Jonathan Walland (UK); 3rd place José De Rocco (Argentina)

© Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner, Professional, Architecture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Ice Fishing Hut XV. — © Sandra Herber, Canada, Category Winner, Professional, Architecture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Ice Fishing Hut XV*. "Winters in Manitoba, Canada, are long and often bitterly cold. When the temperature drops, and thick ice forms, lakes and rivers in the province play host to some amazing folk architecture in the form of ice fishing huts. These huts, shacks or permies (as they are called in Manitoba) must be transportable, protect their occupants from the elements and allow access to the ice below for fishing. Once these requirements have been met, the owners are free to express their personalities in the shape, structure and decoration of their huts - they are large or small, decorated or plain, luxurious or utilitarian and everything in between."

Creative

WINNER: Pablo Albarenga (Uruguay) for his series, Seeds of Resistance

Finalists: 2nd place Dione Roach (Italy); 3rd place Luke Watson (UK)

© Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Award. Drica (29) lives in Tapagem, a Quilombo up the Trombetas River, in the Brazilian Amazon. The Quilombos are home to descendants of escaped African slaves. Drica is the first woman to have been elected as Quilombola Territory Coordinator. But for Drica, the greatest challenge of all is a huge hydroelectric dam project which will probably be green-lighted by the government and which will not only destroy the river environment but also displace the communities from their homeland.
Right: Drica portrayed lying in her ancestral land. Left: Aerial view of the Rio Norte Bauxite Mine next to the Quilombola territory, on the Trombetas River. Pará, Brazil. — © Pablo Albarenga, Uruguay, Photographer of the Year, Professional, Creative, 2020 Sony World Photography Award. Drica (29) lives in Tapagem, a Quilombo up the Trombetas River, in the Brazilian Amazon. The Quilombos are home to descendants of escaped African slaves. Drica is the first woman to have been elected as Quilombola Territory Coordinator. But for Drica, the greatest challenge of all is a huge hydroelectric dam project which will probably be green-lighted by the government and which will not only destroy the river environment but also displace the communities from their homeland. Right: Drica portrayed lying in her ancestral land. Left: Aerial view of the Rio Norte Bauxite Mine next to the Quilombola territory, on the Trombetas River. Pará, Brazil.

Discovery

WINNER: Maria Kokunova (Russian Federation) for her series, The Cave

Finalists: 2nd place Hashem Shakeri (Islamic Republic of Iran); 3rd place Hugh Kinsella Cunningham (UK)

© Maria Kokunova, Russian Federation, Category Winner, Professional, Discovery, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Motherhood, from the series, The Cave. — © Maria Kokunova, Russian Federation, Category Winner, Professional, Discovery, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Motherhood,* from the series, *The Cave*. "It has been four years since I voluntarily isolated myself in a cosy cave of maternity, living in a country house in Leningrad Oblast. I deliberately restrict social contact and limit media consumption - my whole life is bound up in my home, children and art practice. Against all expectations, however, my life is far from calm and quiet. The notion of the cave has become, for me, the quintessence of what a personal experience is made up of. It has been linked to the Anima and the cult of the earth mother, the symbol of fertile soil that both gives life and takes it away. Francis Bacon, developing the idea of Plato, stated that the “Idols of the Cave” arise from education and custom – in short, the past of each individual determines how they perceive things."

Documentary

WINNER: Chung Ming Ko (Hong Kong SAR) for his series, Wounds of Hong Kong

Finalists: 2nd place Didier Bizet (France); 3rd place Youqiong Zhang (Mainland China)

© Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Wounds of Hong Kong 7. Chu, a 17-year-old Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) student, was hit by a police baton while taking part in a human chain at Tai Po Station, Hong Kong, on 7 September 2019. He was seen lying in his own blood on cable TV. Chu’s head needed stitches and the phalanx of the little finger on his right hand was broken, requiring six bone screws. He has decided to postpone his DSE for a year in order to tackle his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). — © Chung Ming Ko, Hong Kong, Category Winner, Professional, Documentary, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Wounds of Hong Kong 7*. Chu, a 17-year-old Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination (DSE) student, was hit by a police baton while taking part in a human chain at Tai Po Station, Hong Kong, on 7 September 2019. He was seen lying in his own blood on cable TV. Chu’s head needed stitches and the phalanx of the little finger on his right hand was broken, requiring six bone screws. He has decided to postpone his DSE for a year in order to tackle his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder).

Environment

WINNER: Robin Hinsch (Germany) for his series, Wahala

Finalists: 2nd place Álvaro Laiz (Spain); 3rd place Luca Locatelli (Italy)

© Robin Hinsch, Germany, Category Winner, Professional, Environment, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Natural gas flaring site, Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria, from the series, Wahala. Covering 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles) of wetlands, the Niger Delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. The region is home to more than 30 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, making up 7.5% of Nigeria’s total land mass. It used to boast an incredibly rich ecosystem, containing one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, before the oil industry moved in. The Nigerian department of petroleum resources estimates that 1.89 million barrels were spilled in to the Niger Delta between 1976 and 1996. What’s more, a report from the United Nations suggests there have been a total of 6,817 spills between 1976 and 2001, amounting to some three million barrels of oil. — © Robin Hinsch, Germany, Category Winner, Professional, Environment, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Natural gas flaring site, Ughelli, Niger Delta, Nigeria, from the series, *Wahala*. Covering 70,000 sq km (27,000 sq miles) of wetlands, the Niger Delta was formed primarily by sediment deposition. The region is home to more than 30 million people and 40 different ethnic groups, making up 7.5% of Nigeria’s total land mass. It used to boast an incredibly rich ecosystem, containing one of the highest concentrations of biodiversity on the planet, before the oil industry moved in. The Nigerian department of petroleum resources estimates that 1.89 million barrels were spilled in to the Niger Delta between 1976 and 1996. What’s more, a report from the United Nations suggests there have been a total of 6,817 spills between 1976 and 2001, amounting to some three million barrels of oil.

Landscape

WINNER: Ronny Behnert (Germany) for his series, Torii

Finalists: 2nd place Florian Ruiz (France); 3rd place Chang Kyun Kim (South Korea)

© Ronny Behnert, Germany, Category Winner, Professional, Landscape, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Torii Einootsurugi. — © Ronny Behnert, Germany, Category Winner, Professional, Landscape, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Torii Einootsurugi*. "Einootsurugi was one of the torii which was totally hidden. It was difficult to find that amazing spot but after a few hours of searching and exploring I found the torii. The special feature here was the symmetrical arrangement through the two lamps in the foreground. I spent more than three hours at this spot because of the spritual atmosphere at this place! Evidence of Shintoism and Buddhism - the most common religions in Japan - can be found in every corner of the country. Shrines and torii (traditional Japanese gates commonly found at the entrance to Shinto shrines, marking the transition from mundane to sacred spaces) can be seen in the remotest of locations, from the middle of the Pacific Ocean to the highest mountains and the deepest forests."

Natural World & Wildlife

WINNER: Brent Stirton (South Africa) for his series, Pangolins in Crisis

Finalists: 2nd place Masahiro Hiroike (Japan); 3rd place Adalbert Mojrzisch (Germany)

© Brent Stirton, South Africa, Category Winner, Professional, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Pangolins in Crisis 10. HARARE, ZIMBABWE: Pangolin caregivers at an anonymous farm care for rescued, illegally trafficked pangolins, helping them to find ants and termites to eat and keeping them safe from predators and poachers. This is one of only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million being trafficked to Asia in the last ten year. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and all trade or consumption is illegal. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last ten years. — © Brent Stirton, South Africa, Category Winner, Professional, Natural World & Wildlife, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Pangolins in Crisis 10*. HARARE, ZIMBABWE: Pangolin caregivers at an anonymous farm care for rescued, illegally trafficked pangolins, helping them to find ants and termites to eat and keeping them safe from predators and poachers. This is one of only three true Pangolin rescue and rehabilitation sites in the world. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million being trafficked to Asia in the last ten year. Their scales are used in traditional Chinese and Vietnamese medicine and their meat is sold as a high-priced delicacy. As a result, pangolins are listed as critically endangered and all trade or consumption is illegal. Pangolins are the world’s most illegally trafficked mammals, with an estimated one million trafficked to Asia in the last ten years.

Portraiture

WINNER: Cesar Dezfuli (Spain) for his series, Passengers

Finalists: 2nd place Denis Rouvre (France); 3rd place Sasha Maslov (Ukraine)

© Cesar Dezfuli, Spain, Category Winner, Professional, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Malick. Gambia. (1998), from the series, *Passengers.*
LEFT: Malick portrayed on 1st August 2016 on board of a rescue vessel in the Mediterranean sea.
RIGHT: Malick portrayed on 26th June 2019 in Italy, where he currently lives. "On 1st August 2016, 118 people were rescued from a rubber boat drifting in the Mediterranean Sea. The boat had departed some hours prior from Libya. In an attempt to give a human face to this event, I photographed the passengers minutes after their rescue. Their faces, their looks, the marks on their bodies all reflected the mood and physical state they were in after a journey that had already marked their lives forever. It was the beginning of a project that has been evolving ever since."

Sport

WINNER: Ángel López Soto (Spain) for his series, Senegalese Wrestlers

Finalists: 2nd place Lucas Barioulet (France); 3rd place Andrea Staccioli (Italy)

© Ángel López Soto, Spain, Category Winner, Professional, Sport, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Senegalese Wrestlers 3. Wrestling has become the number one national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia. It belongs to a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (known as Lutte Traditionnelle) and is more popular than football. Senegalese wrestlers practice two forms of the sport: Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe and Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (international version). The sport has become a means of social ascendance, making some athletes millionaires. Fights have been known to attract audiences of around 50 thousand in a stadium. For many, it’s a slice of African life, tradition and culture, in which there is a mix of animist and Muslim beliefs. These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar. — © Ángel López Soto, Spain, Category Winner, Professional, Sport, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. *Senegalese Wrestlers 3*. Wrestling has become the number one national sport in Senegal and parts of The Gambia. It belongs to a larger West African form of traditional wrestling (known as Lutte Traditionnelle) and is more popular than football. Senegalese wrestlers practice two forms of the sport: Lutte Traditionnelle avec frappe and Lutte Traditionnelle sans frappe (international version). The sport has become a means of social ascendance, making some athletes millionaires. Fights have been known to attract audiences of around 50 thousand in a stadium. For many, it’s a slice of African life, tradition and culture, in which there is a mix of animist and Muslim beliefs. These pictures show wrestlers training on a beach in Dakar.

Still Life

WINNER: Alessandro Gandolfi (Italy) for his series, Immortality, Inc.

Finalists: 2nd place Elena Helfrecht (Germany); 3rd place Fangbin Chen (Mainland China)

© Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Category Winner, Professional, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. From the series, Immortality, Inc. Pieve Emanuele (Milan, Italy), the Simulation Lab with a robot-patient created by Humanitas University: an extremely realistic scenario but one with zero risks, enabling the students to train for every type of emergency. — © Alessandro Gandolfi, Italy, Category Winner, Professional, Still Life, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. From the series, *Immortality, Inc*. Pieve Emanuele (Milan, Italy), the Simulation Lab with a robot-patient created by Humanitas University: an extremely realistic scenario but one with zero risks, enabling the students to train for every type of emergency.

Open Photographer of the Year

The Open competition celebrates the power of single images. Selected from 10 Open category winners, Tom Oldham (UK) was named Open Photographer of the Year 2020, receiving the US$5,000 prize for his image, Black Francis. The photograph is a black-and-white portrait of Pixies front-man, Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis).

© Tom Oldham, United Kingdom, Open Photographer of the Year, Open, Portraiture, 2020 Sony World Photography Awards. Black Francis. Photographers for MOJO Magazine enjoy a rare degree of freedom and trust with what is usually an open brief. This allows us to capture our own experience with very high profile musicians. However, when photographing famous singers, we are often painfully aware of how many times the sitter has, well, sat. I like to acknowledge this and asked Charles (aka Black Francis) to show me the level of frustration photoshoots can generate. He offered up this perfect gesture of exasperation, and the image ran as the lead portrait for the feature.

Student Photographer of the Year

Ioanna Sakellaraki (Greece) was chosen as Student Photographer of the Year 2020 for her series, Aeiforia, created in response to the brief, Sustainability Now, which asked students to produce a body of work connected to environmental sustainability. In her series, Sakellaraki presents night-time photographs of solar panels, wind turbines, and battery farms used across the small island of Tilos in Greece, which is the first in the Mediterranean to run almost entirely on renewable energy.

Youth Photographer of the Year

Selected from seven category winners, Hsien-Pang Hsieh (Taiwan Region, 19 years old) has won Youth Photographer of the Year 2020 for his image Hurry, featuring a street performer who is seemingly walking in a hurry but is in fact standing still. Inspired by his experience as a newly arrived student in Germany, Hsien-Pang sees the image as his comment on the intensive pace of life and a reminder for others to slow down.